Someone questioned why to put Ipython into scipy when it's easy for
Linux users to install scipy and ipython separately. However, that's
true of several of our packages. There are two reasons to include
ipython:
1. The sense of the BoF was that the user docs should *only* describe
using Ipython, with the exception of a brief section describing how
to start and use plain Python. It won't be discussed as an
optional thing, and the docs will make heavy use of its
capabilities. We want to reduce the possibility of problems, and
since Ipython is not large or on a rapid development schedule, it
makes sense to include it.
2. As Eric has stated in the past, scipy is supposed to be an
inclusive package, providing everything you need or would
reasonably want. There are certainly other packaging philosophies,
but that's the one he's chosen for scipy. This makes a lot of
sense for Windows and other places where installing is a drag.
There are some exceptions, of course, such as things on a rapid
release schedule (like matplotlib) and specialized application
software, particularly the big stuff. Excluding these is more of a
practical decision than a principled one.
--jh--